Matt and Becky Walton say they will use the Fit EV as a daily commuter car. Few other people have.
In the latest example of the low voltage sales produced in the EV market, Honda is offering a two-year Fit EV lease extension that includes a lower $199 monthly payment down from the existing $259 a month.
When first announced during 2012 in California and Oregon, the Fit monthly lease was $399 for three years. The original leases would have expired this June. Honda only leased 1,069 Fit EVs between July 2012 and December 2014 during two model years, 2013 and 2014.
The latest lease price cut also extends the unlimited mileage, routine maintenance and collision coverage included in the original lease of later cars. In a new twist, this reduced lease price and extended two-year terms are available to new customers interested in driving a used Honda Fit EV. It appears to be a way to phase out the Fit EV.
The Honda Fit EV is among the most efficient 5-passenger electric vehicles on the market with a combined adjusted Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mile-per-gallon-equivalency rating of 118 MPGe, an EPA-rated driving range of 82 miles, and an efficient energy-consumption rating of 29 kilowatt hours (kWh) per 100 miles. While this is of interest to true believers, these numbers and those of the Nissan Leaf – the clear leader in EV sales since December 2010, more than 72,322 Leafs have been sold in the U.S. – are not enough to make EVs more than a footnote to sales tables.
“We’re very confident in how the vehicles are performing, and look forward to offering new and existing customers a chance to experience everything the Fit EV has to offer,” said Steve Center, vice president of the Environmental Business Development Office, American Honda Motor Co.
Lessees will be contacted by Honda prior to lease end for additional details about lease extensions. Fit EV customers also can take advantage of Honda’s partnership with SolarCity (http://www.hondasolarcity.com/) to install solar power with no upfront cost, allowing them to recharge their vehicle with clean, affordable power from the sun.
